


The Day She Kissed Him

by Flightless_Bird



Series: The Day She Died [4]
Category: Welcome to Night Vale
Genre: Cold football games, Desert Bluffs, F/M, Flirting, Fluff, He's not human, Kevin looks good in a sweater, Kissing, Lauren shows up, Pre-Strex Desert Bluffs, Pre-Strex Kevin, Relationship Beginnings, Romance, Strex's arrival, Ugh, Vanessa is falling hard, kevin is a sweetheart
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-11-16
Updated: 2016-11-16
Packaged: 2018-08-31 09:47:44
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,015
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/8573596
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Flightless_Bird/pseuds/Flightless_Bird
Summary: "Is that what your business is called then?" Kevin asked, head cocked.
She nodded cheerily. "StrexCorp Synernist Inc., to be exact, but feel free to just call us Strex," she explained. "We don't like things to be too formal, it makes people feel unwelcome. Unwelcome people are unhappy people, and unhappy people are often unproductive. Can't have that, now can we?"





	

**Author's Note:**

> Finallyyyy! They kiss! I don't care if this spoiled it, you read the title. This series still makes me happy and I hope you like it too! Thank you if you've been reading it so far, it means a lot :3

Football games were unnaturally cold in the desert evenings.

  
For a few minutes before the game, Vanessa had been considering not going. Honestly, it was freezing and they were up against Night Vale again, and the gods knew that they were not liked there. But a couple of the Shawns were going with these ridiculous Desert Bluffs beanies, and Kevin had asked her to go, and dammit she was such a sucker for him. So she went.

  
And it was just as cold as she'd expected it to be, even in her favorite red coat and cream-colored beanie. As soon as it was acceptable for them to ditch the game, they had.

  
The Shawns, Kevin, and Vanessa all trudged their way back to DBCR for a group hot chocolate session, laughing and pushing each other around on the sidewalk. Black-haired Shawn muttered some inappropriate joke to the blonde one and they both had the group cackling by the time they neared the station. Vanessa's face was flushed with cold and happiness. She lingered near the back half of the group, discreetly admiring Kevin's lean form in a puffy yellow coat. He'd sat next to her at the game and there'd been more than a few instances of their shoulders bumping together. To say that she was pleased was an understatement.

  
"All right, everyone, be polite," blonde Shawn told them as they came to a stop outside the glass double doors. "Ladies first." He pulled the door open wide and swept an arm toward the interior.

  
There were a few teasing _ooooh's_ and Vanessa grinned laughingly. "Why, thank you, Shawn," she said with a curtsy.

  
"I was talking about Kevin," Shawn replied and a new round of even louder _OOOH'S_ followed the first.

  
Rolling his eyes, Kevin shuffled through the open door first, hands in his pockets. "Keep it up, Shawn," he called over his shoulder. "I know who pays your salary."

  
The snickers and taunting comments were thrown back and forth with more enthusiasm now, as they all herded into the station together. There was a bit of a clogged commotion in the hall by the coat rack, as all of them struggled to maneuver around each other and out of their winter outfits.

  
Vanessa hung her coat up, but opted to keep her beanie on. Rubbing at her arms around the fabric of her black-and-blue striped shirt, she turned to wriggle her way out of the mob of interns-and-radio-host. Kevin was shrugging out of his own coat, showing off a soft charcoal sweater with DBCR printed in bright yellow at the back. It was the first time she'd seen him in casual clothes. It looked good against his shadowy skin and the stormy shock of his hair. She had to force herself to look away again.

  
Just as they'd all started down toward the break room, the black-haired Shawn halted with a surprised sound. "Ms. Baker?" he called suddenly, bringing the rest of them to a stop.

  
Vanessa followed his gaze and found Anne Baker shuffling toward them down the hall, all dressed up in her beige coat and scarf. There was a box in her hands and her purse slung around her shoulders. When she glanced up at her name, there was a soft sadness in her hazel eyes.

  
"What're you doing?" Shawn asked, as she came within earshot.

  
She sighed, a light sound masking something heavier. "Oh well. Suppose there's no use hiding it." Adjusting her grip on her things, she lifted her chin a fraction. "I've been let go."

  
A collective gasp rippled around the group. Vanessa's heart felt as though it was falling somewhere deep inside of her.

  
Kevin shouldered his way to the front, eyes widening. "Anne?"

  
"It's fine, it really is," she insisted. "Turns out there's a new business in town, with some higher-ups that are advising the mayor and City Council. They offered someone that could...perform my job better and for a longer time, and so." She raised a hand in a motion of finality. "That's it."

  
Shawn's dark eyes flashed in outrage. "They can't do that!" he protested. "You earned this job. Is City Council out of their minds?"

  
"What kind of business is this?" another Shawn added from the back.

  
Anne lifted her shoulders in a defeated shrug. "I'm not sure. Couldn't even remember their name, I'm afraid. But they apparently insisted that they were here to help Desert Bluffs improve itself and I suppose that means getting rid of those who aren't up to par anymore."

  
"Don't say things like that," Vanessa piped up quietly. Her chest ached. Ms. Baker glanced at her and smiled a gentle smile."You're always needed here."

  
"Oh, Vanessa." Ms. Baker stepped over to her and briefly touched her cheek. "You've always been kind."

  
"She's right," Kevin put in. His shoulders were tense, jaw tight, and for a fleeting moment, Vanessa was afraid that he was going to tear up. "You've worked with the radio station longer than I have and you haven't been caught late, or playing pranks, or goofing off. If anyone deserves to be replaced, it's me."

  
Ms. Baker gave a burst of laughter like crinkling paper. "You're sweet, Kevin," she replied. "But if they replaced you, I think the entire town would riot."

  
"Still," Shawn spoke up stubbornly. "This is bullshit."

  
"But it is happening," she replied, hefting her box into a better position with tired movements. Vanessa swallowed around a lump in her throat. Ms. Baker raked her gaze over all of them and huffed pointedly. "Oh, don't start crying now. It's not as if I'm dead. You'll still see me around town. And I'll always listen to the show."

  
Vanessa clasped her hands in front of her and gave a short nod. "Okay," she said shakily, and then she managed a smile. "Bye, Ms. Baker. Thanks for helping me when I was starting out."

Ms. Baker's gaze landed on her and softened. "Goodbye, Vanessa. I'll stop by to visit once in a while and make sure you aren't getting into any trouble."

  
"Okay," Vanessa giggled, nodding.

  
"And you," Ms. Baker went on sternly, and Kevin started as he realized she was pointing at him. "I expect this place to run just as smoothly as it did when I was here, so don't give the replacement a hard time, okay?"

  
A warm smile curved up his lips. "I won't," he promised.

  
Then Ms. Baker's smile went a little wobbly and she stretched up on tiptoe to kiss his cheek. "They'll be fine," she said, as though she was saying it more to herself than to him. "They have you to look after them, just like the rest of us do. This town would be a lesser place without you, Kevin."

  
Kevin nodded, eyes glimmering. "Thank you, Anne," he murmured.

  
Dipping her head in acceptance, she wiped under her glasses with her sleeve. Then she squared her shoulders and gave them all a brave sweep of her eyes. "It's been a pleasure to work with you," she told them. "Please tell the replacement I wish them the best. They'll be working with some amazing people." The murmurs of gratitude swelled around her, as she weaved between them toward the door. Vanessa watched sadly at the old woman's back, disappearing into the chill behind the glass doors.

  
They swung shut with a thud and left all of them reeling in silence.

-x-x-x-

"How could they just...get rid of her, just like that?" It was Kevin who asked it, leaning against the open door to his recording booth with a mug of hot chocolate in his hands.

  
Vanessa stood next to him and cupped her own mug between her palms. They'd all gotten their drinks after all and the Shawns had retired to the break room to discuss the recent turn of events. The pair was alone out in the hall. Shaking her head, she gazed down at the dark steaming liquid. "I don't know," she admitted. "She was so sweet. And she did her job well."

  
"She did it more than well," he replied. "I can't imagine anyone who could replace her."

  
"City Council knows best, I guess."

  
"City Council needs to re-educate themselves for a change."

  
A wry curve appeared to Vanessa's lips and she tentatively lifted her mug to her mouth. She winced; too hot. "At least she said the company's trying to help us out," she pointed out. "Though it's kinda weird that they just showed up and got City Council to go along with them."

  
Kevin examined his cocoa with a weary scrutiny. "Must be a damn impressive company," he remarked.

  
Watching him, she noticed the heaviness to his eyelids and the way he kept most of his weight against the doorframe. "Long night, huh?" she asked sympathetically.

  
"Is it that obvious?" He rubbed a hand over his face, movements tired.

  
"Only a little."

  
"Great."

  
The sarcasm was obvious. She blinked at him, understanding dawning on her. "You know, you don't have to be the Voice of Desert Bluffs all the time," she told him.

  
He glanced at her, brows furrowing. "What do you mean?"

  
"I mean, you're always happy and looking for positives during your show and with other people," she tried to explain. "You give them something to hope for. But it's okay to let yourself be tired and sad sometimes too." She shrugged, turning back to her mug. "Everyone gets like that once in a while."

  
"Yeah," he agreed after a moment. "I guess you're right." He took a sip of hot chocolate, shoulders relaxing a bit.

  
Pleased with this response, Vanessa let the two of them fall into companionable silence. There was a calm ticking noise from the clock at the wall and the faint conversations of the Shawns reached them from the break room hallway. Vanessa toed at the floor with her boot and inched a half-step closer to Kevin. There was an inch between their shoulders. When she inhaled, she smelled cocoa and the scent of cinnamon that she'd come to know as his. It was mildly intoxicating on a saddening, wintry night. Sighing at her foolish thoughts, she reached back and pulled at her beanie. "Oh crap," she muttered, having realized that the action left her mocha-dark hair tangled. "I hate it when that happ—" Her gaze landed on Kevin then and she paused, lips still parted.

  
He was staring at her, at her messy hair and cold-reddened nose, and his eyes were glowing like topaz. It was otherworldly and vaguely unnerving, but at the same time, it sent deep shivers through her. She bit her lip self-consciously. "Kevin—?" Her words died in confusion as he abruptly turned to set his mug down on the desk in his recording booth. "What're you doing?" she asked, just as he spun back around, cupped her jaw, and pressed his mouth to hers.

  
Vanessa's mind short-circuited. She stood, frozen, as the Voice of Desert Bluffs brushed his lips to her own with the sort of softness she'd only dreamed of. Her brain couldn't process things for a moment. The mug was barely registered in her grasp. Heartbeat in overdrive, she'd just leaned into the contact when he pulled back again. Amber eyes opened centimeters from hers and she realized that he had more than one shade of yellow in them. They were sunlight and fire, burning and gentle. She tried to speak normally and it came out ragged. "Kevin?"

  
"Vanessa," he breathed, and then he was sinking his mouth onto hers again. She tilted her chin up to meet him, kissing back dizzyingly. It was slow, and long, and unlike anything she'd thought it'd be. She let go of her mug with one hand and looped her arm around his neck. Dropping his hands from her jaw, he circled them around to her lower back and pulled her in. The mug was jostled between them and drops of hot chocolate stained both of their stomachs. "Ah—" she stammered out in a gasp.

  
Growling at the interruption, he took the mug from her and fumbled to place it alongside his on the desk. Then he was turning to meet her again, and she tangled her hands shamelessly in his hair to pull him closer. He kissed the senses from her, until all she felt was him, solid and steadying against her. His palms slid up her back to keep her flush against him and she rose up on her toes, fingers tightening on reflex in his hair. He whimpered into her mouth, honeyed voice hoarse and there was nothing that she wanted to hear more.

  
They would've kissed in the hall for the rest of the night if they could. Vanessa was drowning, falling deep, and she could tell by the urgency in Kevin's actions that he was too. But then—

  
" _Ahem_... Terribly sorry to interrupt...this, you happy little couple, but I was wondering where I could find Station Management's office?" The voice was light, wind stirring brittle branches, and it came from right next to them.

  
Vanessa squeaked, tearing herself from Kevin with face stained bright red. When she turned, she saw that the woman speaking to them was smiling with crimson lips, dark-chocolate hair pulled back into a bun. She wore business attire: a crisp grey jacket over a pale blouse and matching skirt. In her arms was a manila folder and a clipboard.

  
"Sorry, what?" Kevin asked, voice delightfully kiss-weakened. His second pair of eyes had opened and both sets were dazed. Vanessa had to suppress a grin at the sight of a flustered Kevin.

  
"I was just asking where my office was," the woman repeated good-naturedly. "I'm the new budget manager here. My name's Lauren Mallard, but feel free to call me Lauren, all right? We can all be friends here, after all." Her words were cheerful, but for some reason, her smile didn't quite reach her icy green eyes.

  
"Oh, of course," Kevin replied, snapping out of his reverie. He closed his second set of eyes and offered his hand out to shake. "I'm Kevin."

  
Shaking his hand, Lauren swept her gaze over him once as though looking at a particularly curious animal exhibit. "So, you're the Voice of Desert Bluffs?"

  
A half-grin tugged up the corner of his mouth. "The one and only," he joked.

  
"Hm. Interesting," she muttered to herself, nearly forgetting that the two were even there. Then she seemed to jerk out of her thoughts and shifted her polite smile to Vanessa. "And who might you be?"

  
"Oh—Vanessa," Vanessa answered, also shaking Lauren's hand. Her fingers were cool and her grip just shy of being too tight. "I'm an intern here."

  
"An intern?" Lauren echoed, a trace of surprise coloring her voice. She pointed first at Vanessa and then at Kevin, lips pursed. "And the two of you are...?" Her sentence trailed off into nothing and it was difficult to tell if she was disapproving or not.

  
Vanessa chewed on the inside of her cheek while Kevin coughed sheepishly into his hand. "Yes," Kevin said, making Vanessa's gaze jerk up to him, "we are." He met her eyes and something twinkled in his. Her heart thudded against her ribs and she suddenly became very interested in studying her shoes.

  
"Ah. I see." Slipping a pen out of her jacket pocket, Lauren scribbled something down on her clipboard. Vanessa wrinkled her nose, wondering what in the world she had to write down at the moment. But then she clicked her pen closed again and showed them a wide smile. "I'm guessing you heard about the recent changes in City Council. The businesses in Desert Bluffs are finally going to get that boost that they need, that they deserve. With StrexCorp's help, of course."

  
"Is that what your business is called then?" Kevin asked, head cocked.

  
She nodded cheerily. "StrexCorp Synernist Inc., to be exact, but feel free to just call us Strex," she explained. "We don't like things to be too formal, it makes people feel unwelcome. Unwelcome people are unhappy people, and unhappy people are often unproductive. Can't have that, now can we?"

  
Kevin's eyebrows raised. "I...suppose not," he said slowly.

  
"Oh, good. I'm glad we agree." Tapping her fingers on the side of her folder, Lauren cast an unsure glance around the hall. "Now, where is that office?"

  
"Oh. Uh, just down the hall to the right," he told her, pointing.

  
"Thank you." She nodded first at him, then at Vanessa. "It was very nice to meet you, Kevin. You too, Vanessa. I have no doubt that we'll be _very_ happy working together." With that, she strode away from them down the hall, heels giving little thumps against the carpeted floor.

  
The moment she was out of earshot, Kevin and Vanessa exchanged similar wide-eyed glances. "She seems cool," Vanessa tried.

  
"Mmhm," he hummed.

  
They stood in silence for a couple more seconds, gazing at each other with deceptively straight faces. Then Kevin broke first, snorting and shaking his head while Vanessa snickered. "I can't believe they replaced Anne with her," she commented. "She's creepily happy about being productive."

  
"I can't believe she wrote down that we're dating," Kevin put in amusedly.

  
Vanessa sobered a little then, gazing up at him with a question in her expression. "So you were serious? We're uh, we're together now?"

  
He sent her a look through sunlit eyes. "What do you think?" he asked, softer now, sweeter. Opening her mouth, she found no words to that, and closed it again with a shy grin. He stepped toward her, head bending as though to kiss her again and she shied away teasingly.

  
"I'm gonna go get my hot chocolate," she laughed, slightly breathless with his closeness.

  
"No, you're not."

  
"Kevin, I am not getting caught by her again. Or Shawn."

"Which Shawn?"

"Any of the Shawns."

"Aw, c'mon..."

"Kevin, I will smack you if you don't give me my hot chocolate."

Things felt a little more right in the world.


End file.
